讨论一道重要题！

In the past, every ten-percentage-point increase in cigarette prices in the country of Coponia has decreased per capita sales of cigarettes by four percent.  Coponia is about to raise taxes on cigarettes by 9 cents per pack.  The average price of cigarettes in Coponia is and has been for more than a year 90 cents per pack.  So the tax hike stands an excellent chance of reducing per capita sales of cigarettes by four percent.
Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?
A.Tobacco companies are unlikely to reduce their profit per pack of cigarettes to avoid an increase in the cost per pack to consumers in Coponia.
B.Previous increases in cigarette prices in Coponia have generally been due to increases in taxes on cigarettes.
C.Any decrease in per capita sales of cigarettes in Coponia will result mainly from an increase in the number of people who quit smoking entirely.
D.At present, the price of a pack of cigarettes in Coponia includes taxes that amount to less than ten percent of the total selling price.
E.The number of people in Coponia who smoke cigarettes has remained relatively constant for the past several years.

此题的答案是D吗？？

此题的重点在于对stands的理解，是“阻碍”还是“维持”？

选A吧

应该是选D把，说明了TAX是含在PRICE里的，所以如果提高TAX9美分，价格也上涨9美分，刚好是原来价格的10%

STAND是支持价格上涨引起销售亮下降的意思把

请问题目给的答案是什么?

我认为选A,通过建桥:

Coponia is about to raise taxes on cigarettes by 9 cents per pack.  The average price of cigarettes in Coponia is and has been for more than a year 90 cents per pack. 

推出前提:CO将对CI增加10%的税收

So the tax hike stands an excellent chance of reducing per capita sales of cigarettes by four percent.
结论:税收的增长使CI的销售减少4%

所以题目逻辑是:税收增加10%=>CI的销售减少4%

文中给出信息是:In the past, every ten-percentage-point increase in cigarette prices in the country of Coponia has decreased per capita sales of cigarettes by four percent 价格增长10%=>CI销售减少4%

通过建桥可得出税收的增加=>价格增长,即A:

A.Tobacco companies are unlikely to reduce their profit per pack of cigarettes to avoid an increase in the cost per pack to consumers in Coponia

支持楼上的分析，price=cost+profit, 选A

没有答案啊，但是你对stands的理解，是“阻碍”还是“维持”？如果是“维持”就是选A，是阻碍则选D吧 ！

你们的理解呢？？

"sb stands a chance of doing sth" is an idiom that means sb has a chance to succeed in doing sth or has the probability of being successful in doing sth.

The below URL is for your reference:

http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/stand+a+chance

So obviously choice A is the correct answer.